Elon Musk shared a high-fidelity AI-generated image of Vice President Kamala Harris dressed in a communist-style military uniform, triggering widespread concerns regarding the role of synthetic media in spreading political disinformation and the failure of platform self-regulation during the 2024 U.S. Presidential election.

Posted in response to a graphic shared by Kamala Harris' US presidential campaign on X that read, "Donald Trump vows to be a dictator on day one," Musk's post, which lacked a label indicating it was AI-generated, sparked a wave of responses from X users. 

The post reached millions of users, with many seeming to believe the image was real, thereby potentially misleading those who unable to distinguish the synthetic image from reality and contributing to a "liar’s dividend" where the proliferation of fakes makes the public sceptical of all authentic media.

The post follows a series of AI-generated media shared by former President Trump on X and his Truth Social platform, including images of Harris as a communist dictator and purported fans of both Taylor Swift and Trump.

The use of AI-generated images in a political context has raised concerns about voter manipulation and the spread of disinformation. 

While some platforms have implemented policies to restrict the creation and distribution of synthetic media for political purposes, enforcement has been highly inconsistent.

As the 2024 US presidential election approaches, experts warn that AI technology could enable disinformation purveyors to operate at a larger scale.

Timeline ⏰

• August 13, 2024. xAI releases Grok-2 and Grok-2 mini in beta, featuring an image generation tool with minimal guardrails.

• August 18, 2024. Donald Trump shares related AI-generated images of Kamala Harris and Taylor Swift on Truth Social.

• Late August 2024. Elon Musk posts AI-generated image of Harris in "communist" uniform on X.

• September 2024. Lawmakers and disinformation researchers cite the post as a primary example of why tougher AI regulations are required for election integrity.

News, commentary, analysis 🗞️

• https://thehill.com/policy/technology/4859664-elon-musk-fake-image-kamala-harris/

• https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/03/media/elon-musk-x-kamala-harris-trump-misinformation/index.html

• https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/article/united-states-presidential-election-ai-generated-images-social-media

• https://futurism.com/trump-ai-harris-mario